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T2 assault frigates ("AFs") can enter Small plexes, and combine the agility of a frigate with higher DPS and much stronger tanks; when fitted with an Assault Damage Control, they can become briefly invulnerable. They are an extremely difficult fight for any other frigate or T1 destroyer. Common solo AFs include the [[Hawk]] (with an extremely strong MASB shield tank), or the [[Retribution]] (often flown as a kiting ship, similar to a much tankier version of the [[Imperial Navy Slicer]]). | T2 assault frigates ("AFs") can enter Small plexes, and combine the agility of a frigate with higher DPS and much stronger tanks; when fitted with an Assault Damage Control, they can become briefly invulnerable. They are an extremely difficult fight for any other frigate or T1 destroyer. Common solo AFs include the [[Hawk]] (with an extremely strong MASB shield tank), or the [[Retribution]] (often flown as a kiting ship, similar to a much tankier version of the [[Imperial Navy Slicer]]). | ||
==Basic | ===Basic frigate meta=== | ||
Ships for PvP in general are grouped primarily by their | Ships for PvP in general are grouped primarily by their preferred fighting range. All other things being equal, winning a PvP fight usually means ensuring that you are in your ideal range, and your opponent is not. | ||
*0-5 km | *0-5 km range - '''Brawlers''' | ||
*5-10 km | *5-10 km range - '''Scram Kiters''' | ||
*10- | *10-20 km range - '''Kiters''' | ||
In | In lowsec frigate PvP, as most fighting is in plexes where much of the engagement takes place around the fixed point of the beacon, MWDs are less commonly used than in other environments, as they can be immediately de-activated by a warp scrambler. While MWDs can be useful for kiters, the dominant propulsion module is the afterburner. | ||
===Brawlers=== | ====Brawlers==== | ||
Brawlers use high damage, close range weapons, such as blasters or pulse lasers. | Brawlers use high damage, close range weapons, such as blasters or pulse lasers. They therefore rely on quickly getting into close range, and preventing opponents from pulling away. | ||
When defending a plex, they will orbit the beacon very closely, and immediately try to | When defending a plex, they will orbit the beacon very closely, and immediately try to warp-scramble and web any incoming ship. | ||
When attacking a plex, they | When attacking a plex, they must swiftly close the range between them and the defending ship. | ||
Since range is key, fast brawlers like the [[Atron]] or [[Federation Navy Comet]] are very useful due to their raw speed, and their damage bonuses. An alternative is a ship which can carry dual webs, such as the dual-web armour [[Kestrel]] or the [[Caldari Navy Hookbill]]. These are relatively slow ships in absolute terms, but the double web effect removes the speed advantage of almost any other ship, and allows you to dictate range despite being slower on paper. | |||
===Scram | ====Scram-kiters==== | ||
An effective defence against a brawler is to fight from outside their optimal range, but still within warp scrambler and web range, normally between | An effective defence against a brawler is to fight from outside their optimal range, but still within warp scrambler and web range, normally between 7–9 km. This is called "'''scram-kiting'''". At this point, brawling damage from, for example, blasters will be minimal, but longer-reaching weapons such as beam lasers, pulse lasers with Scorch, railguns, or rockets can still hit for substantial damage. | ||
Once again, this tactic relies on | Once again, this tactic relies on range control. When defending a plex you will likely orbit the beacon at your optimal range, but remember that a brawler could quickly close range if they have a notable speed advantage. | ||
Likewise, when attacking a plex, if a brawler is waiting at the beacon you will need to pull range | Likewise, when attacking a plex, if a brawler is waiting at the beacon you will need to pull range quickly, which requires range control. You must also tank the initial damage close-range long enough to pull distance. | ||
For this reason, scram-kite ships often still fit speed | For this reason, scram-kite ships often still fit for speed. Common scram-kiters include the [[Breacher]], [[Tormentor]], and [[Incursus]]. The dual-web [[Kestrel]] and [[Caldari Navy Hookbill]] noted earlier can also be equally effective as scram-kiters, because rockets can deal effective damage up to 9 km, while the dual webs maintain range control. | ||
===Kiters=== | ====Kiters==== | ||
The other key factor in the meta are long range kiting ships. These will equip a warp disrupter to tackle at | The other key factor in the meta are long-range kiting ships. These will equip a warp disrupter to tackle at 20 km+ ranges, and use long range weapons. They are generally glass cannons, maximizing speed and damage over tank. As they cannot web an opponent at such long ranges, they usually rely on MWDs for a speed advantage. Since they are lightly tanked and a warp scrambler shuts down an MWD, they usually die fast if brought to close quarters. | ||
A good | A good kiting ship already inside a plex is very difficult to kill, as they will orbit the beacon well outside of scram range, and closing with them is challenging. A ship such as a [[Tormentor]] with beam lasers can switch to long range ammo to damage the kiting ship at range, but the kiting ship can avoid tackle and leave at will, so damage projection alone only forces a draw. The primary disadvantages of a kiting ship are that they are very poor at attacking a plex, as they are forced to arrive in a predictable place, and that they require smart, alert manual piloting. | ||
Common kiting ships are the [[Condor]], [[Imperial Navy Slicer]] | Common kiting ships are the [[Condor]], [[Imperial Navy Slicer]], and [[Tristan]]. | ||
==Key Concepts== | ==Key Concepts== | ||